Did you have Africa, Asia, or maybe South America on your travel wish list? The State Department has declared these too dangerous to visit, with warnings ranging from 1-4 (most hazardous). By this, they mean that these countries are often war-torn and have extremely high levels of crime and terrorism. What’s more, they often lack U.S. embassies, and you can’t get insurance coverage for these nations.
As an example, here is a partial list of the Level 4 countries you shouldn’t visit right now:
Department of State’s Level 4 ‘do not travel’ countries and territories
- Afghanistan — “The security situation is extremely unstable and the threat to U.S. citizens remains critical. The U.S. Embassy Kabul suspended operations on August 31, 2021.”
- Belarus — “Do not travel due to unrest and other risks. The U.S. government has extremely limited ability to help detained U.S. citizens. You could also face arbitrary detention with no contact with the outside world.”
- Burkina Faso — “Terrorists may attack anywhere with little or no warning and may utilize various tactics including the use of common, commercially available items or the use of kidnapping for ransom.”
- Burma (Myanmar) — “Armed conflict, the potential for civil unrest, arbitrary enforcement of local laws, poor health infrastructure, land mines and unexploded ordnance, crime, and wrongful detentions.”
- Central African Republic — “Unrest, landmines and violent crime are common. It includes homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery, aggravated battery, and larceny.”
- Gaza (territory) — “Terrorism and armed conflict.”